


Something Old, Something New

by Harmonica_Smile (Rescue_Remedy)



Series: Law's Collections [1]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Background Marco/Law, Canon Related, Captain taking care of his crew, Complete, Found Family, Friendship, Gen, Law and Bepo are good friends, One Shot, One Shot Collection, Post-Canon, Rare Pairings, So Pedro lives, Written before chapters 877 & 878, Zepo is Bepo's brother, one shots and drabbles, reuploaded
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-26
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-05 09:08:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25468285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rescue_Remedy/pseuds/Harmonica_Smile
Summary: Some time, post canon, Bepo marries a fellow mink, and Pedro and Law discuss just what happened to Bepo's brother, and just how did Bepo end up in the North Blue?Canon divergent (Pedro lives).Followed bya few short one-shots exploring two characters and a dialogue prompt.The old is darling Bepo, who is not old at all, but the first story in the collection is. Chased up by the short, the sassy, the new. Character names are in the chapter titles. Ratings from G-T.2. Zoro & Law3. Robin & Law4. Drake & Law5. Marco & Ace6. Marco & AceLink to the index.
Relationships: Bepo & Trafalgar D. Water Law, Fushichou Marco | Phoenix Marco & Portgas D. Ace, Nico Robin & Trafalgar D. Water Law, Roronoa Zoro & Trafalgar D. Water Law, Trafalgar D. Water Law & X Drake
Series: Law's Collections [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/826065
Kudos: 15





	1. Bepo's Wedding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Law braced himself for the best friend, invested-last-partner, concerned relative, talk. He seemed to attract them like flies to a dung heap. It wasn't like he was the one marrying anyone.
> 
> The Pirate King crown has been Luffy's for a number of years when Pedro pulls Law aside for 'chat' on the day of Bepo's wedding. Just what _had_ happened to Bepo's brother all those years before? Read A/N for background.
> 
> * * *
> 
> Re-uploaded and tidied up (again, sorry). Written before chapters 877 and 878. Backdated, hence low hit count.
> 
>  **Last reupload subscribers**. I think that Law's Collections is complete again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Damn it chapter 878**! Though it makes sense. I'm going to wait and see though . . . This fic was written _just_ before 877 & 878\. Well, it is canon divergent. Also written well before the Law novel, but still divergent.
> 
>  **A/N** : This is part of a series supplementary to the long fic, _Repossession,_ but can be read alone. Please note: One of the premises of _Repossession_ is that Law escaped with Penguin from Doflamingo when he was 16. Cora died when Law was 13, but Law remained with Doflamingo, involuntarily.
> 
> That's not so important, except as background. However, the way that Penguin and Law meet Bepo is not SBS canon, and Law was recaptured by a fleeing Doflamingo after Dressrosa, so he never got to Zou. Therefore, he's never met Pedro. I hope you enjoy this, and sorry for repetition for anyone reading the series. This takes place once Luffy is pirate king and the world is far calmer and fairer.

**Bepo's Wedding.**

* * *

Bepo's bride was a warm-hearted Mink who'd known his older brother, Zepo, before he disappeared. She was about five years older than Bepo, and many years younger than Zepo, as was Law's navigator. Law couldn't think of anyone more deserving of mothering than his friend. From what he'd heard, it seemed she was the type. She wasn't any Nami, that's for sure.

All of the wedding party and guests were staying in Nekomamushi's village. Air circulated freely under the houses, built on stilts, keeping the occupants cool. The twice-daily showers Zunisha washed over the island flowed right under them. The houses were charming. Law wondered about the practicalities of a holiday home perched on the back of a wandering elephant. He'd need to discuss it with Marco.

Bepo had asked Law to meet him outside, before the ceremony got underway. Pedro was nearby, catching a bit of fresh air, having popped out for a smoke. The jaguar Mink squatted by the leg of one of the houses. The forest guardians' captain was officiating the ceremony, so Law guessed it made sense that the kept an eye on the bear. The two Heart pirates chatted in front of the house.

Pedro moved with a lethality that you'd be stupid not to pay mind to. Law had met him a few times across the years, but had been in captivity when Strawhat met up with his crew—the Heart crew—on Zou, two long years before their captain had been able to see them again.

He didn't have the bond with Pedro that Luffy did, and the ex-Nox pirate captain viewed him with some suspicion.

Penguin and Law had come across Bepo as teens when they'd made landfall after fleeing Doflamingo, Law finally free from his first enslavement. Penguin, had experienced greater freedom than Law in his short lifetime, and recognised Bepo as a Mink, a long way from home.

They'd dragged their small boat onto a rugged coast that was definitely in North Blue somewhere. Snow fell. They hid the boat behind an outcrop of rocks, they hoped, but they knew it wouldn't be long before Doflamingo's scouts were after them.

It was a long story, but they'd run across the poor disoriented polar bear wandering the coastline, looking lost and scared—just like them. Only Penguin and Law weren't lost, they just didn't know where they were. Bepo had many advantages, prime among them were that he was huge and very white. He blended right into the landscape. His fur looked so warm. Doflamingo never dressed Law in much and he was knock-kneed with cold.

Hiding behind the bear's bulk—the Mink's coat at one with the snowy terrain—had given the boys some immediate cover from Doflamingo's goons. They'd been exhausted and needed sleep. Bepo's warmth saved them from the icy cold. He'd only been a child, but it also only took a year for a polar bear to grow to full size, and there were a number of summers behind him by the time they met.

Law wasn't sure if he would've stayed free from Doflamingo for the ten years he had without Bepo's initial intervention. He was grateful for the time he spent sailing the seas as captain of his own ship—or submarine—even if his navigator had no way of preventing or protecting him from the second capture.

He walked closer to the adult bear now, despite Pedro's glower—what was up with him? He heard him exhale cigarette smoke and spit to the side. Maybe he thought he'd taken the bear-mink away from his older brother.

"Don't you get fur all over my clothes," Law growled at Bepo. He could suit up, but didn't enjoy it. That time talking about shoes and ships and sealing wax with the walrus had not gone well for him, tie or no tie. Whole fish, or no whole fish. His concession to the occasion, Bepo's wedding, was dress shoes, and trousers. Oh. And he'd changed his earrings so that one pair of his golden hoops were embossed with tiny paws. He wondered if his navigator noticed.

Bepo lifted Law and nuzzled him. Pedro watched on, fascinated. Wasn't the pirate ashamed? A tinge of red coloured his face, but he didn't seem to mind. Then again, the Don Quixote underling had known Bepo for a long time. Maybe he understood the way of the Mink.

"Damn, Bepo," Law growled as he put him down, brushing white hair from his clothes.

"Captain."

Law raised an eyebrow, still patting at his shirt. Bepo tapped a claw to his chin, and tipped it up, gently. Law paused, and met his eyes. The bear ran a furry knuckled-back digit over the scar on his captain's grazed face, the finger soft. He then caught and held Law's wrists where the permanent indentations from shackles, a long time removed, but also a long time on, were visible. He shook his head. Don't apologise, Bepo, Law thought.

His captain's eyes really had lost so much of their shadow since he and Marco had made their way in the world, settled into their island home and were obviously together for the long haul. Hell, they were more than half way there already. Law's clinics were doing really well, and Bepo enjoyed working for them.

It could be stressful at times—they were crisis centres—but he always felt good helping out. It was much better than the bar work he'd been doing before that; the Heart Pirates, most pirates, not having much pillaging to do once the New World eased into its own middle age. Plus, he loved being the poster boy of the annual commemorative tea-towel they sold to support the clinics. He was always surprised at how popular they were.

Law really couldn't pull away from Bepo without calling his devil fruit power into play.

"Don't," he said softly, a conversation only between them, but Pedro's ears pricked up. Jack the Drought had left one tattered and torn, but it hadn't affected his hearing. "It wasn't your fault. So much time has passed."

Bepo dropped hold of one of Law's wrists, and Law put a hand to Bepo's furry cheek. He almost had to stand on tiptoe.

"It's a day for celebration, friend."

Bepo's smile widened and matched Law's own in its intention. Law smiled broadly on occasion, but not in unfamiliar territory, or when broaching painful topics. Bepo had known him for long enough to be appreciative of the small curve of his lips.

"It will be a good day, won't it, captain?"

"I guarantee it."

Law looked over at Pedro, crouched like a revolutionary waiting for his carrier pigeon. He wondered if Minks ate birds.

Pedro returned the look, his hair falling over his face, and nodded decisively, teeth bared. Yes, it would be.

"Get yourself ready. I can't wait to meet Mina."

Bepo's eyes sparkled. "She's the best, captain, "I'm sure you'll love her."

"I'm sure I will."

* * *

**oOOo**

* * *

Once Bepo left, Law braced himself for the best friend, invested last partner, concerned relative, talk. He seemed to attract them like flies to a dung heap—though it was rumoured the scent of manure was quite the sought after fragrance in Zou. He was pleased that those he loved had people who cared for them so much, but what did they really know about Law? Especially when it came to his friendship with Bepo. He'd known the Mink longer than most of them, even if he had been born on their island.

Pedro uncurled himself from the base of the house and meandered over or, more accurately, menaced over. No mincing of words or stride in that coiled body. He offered Law a cigarette. Law declined, and Pedro lit one for himself, using electro, the flame sparking through his thumbnail—claw. The Heart Captain wondered if he could do the same with counter-shock. He'd never tried. The whole two thumbs thing required for the manoeuvre just about ruled it out. Though he'd managed to send a current through Doflamingo when he was basically an amputee on the Dressrosa battleground.

"His brother was a good soul."

Oh, that was a surprise. The gruff voice wasn't. Still, Law waited for the threat.

"I understand that you found each other, miles from here when the currents took Bepo to the Far North. He fell off Zunisha's leg. Too curious for his own good. At least that's what he's told us," Pedro said.

"The Far North suited him. He guaranteed Penguin's and my freedom."

Some chickens and roosters scratched under the house. Law guessed they were kept for eggs. Zou's climate was about as far from North Blue's as you could get.

"And I understand that you guaranteed his."

"We take care of each other." All of his crew did.

"He'd follow you to the end of the earth." Pedro clenched his cigarette between his teeth, crossed his arms against his body.

"Ah," Law agreed. It was so. Lucky there was little need to do so nowadays.

"Bepo's brother was the same, though nowhere near as apologetic."

"It's kind of a Bepo tic."

"No kidding."

Law waited for Pedro to elaborate. Bepo hadn't spoken much about his brother, even when they met him. Just that the young Mink had fallen into the ocean, trying to get to his sibling, or to feel some kind of connection to him, as the older mink had been out and about on some kind of expedition. He'd told Law he had wanted to learn navigation so he could find his way back to Zou. He was a hell of a long way from home.

"You're not cruel to him, are you? To make him cower so much?" Pedro seemed to have just the one facial expression. Ferocious. His eyes were narrowed, his hand on his sword.

Law's lip curled. He held his nodachi casually. "In my experience, men express cruelty with whips, chains and words. With limiting freedom. I use none of them against Bepo or any of my crew."

"There are a thousand ways to be cruel," Pedro said.

"Ah." Didn't Law know it.

"I hear Doflamingo was not a kind master."

A knowing anger, resentment, flashed across Law's eyes but he bit his tongue.

"Bepo missed you, wouldn't stop talking about you," Pedro added, "but I'm glad you didn't take him to Dressrosa."

Law just nodded. He wouldn't have been able to live with himself if Joker had made him harm Bepo, or if the shichibukai had harmed him himself. The Mink wouldn't have been able to stop himself from trying to fight beside his captain. If it came to that.

It wasn't the original plan, but just as he'd put the chances of beating the Yonkou at thirty-percent when he'd proposed an alliance to Luffy, he put his chances of surviving Dressrosa even lower. He didn't need to take anyone down with him.

"Big Mom is not much better."

Another unexpected turn. So this wasn't a discussion of how the apple never fell that far from the tree, and that if the apple was poisoned, then what chance did it have of _not_ poisoning others? He felt his own defenses relax a bit. His curiosity spiked.

"I wasn't always a pirate, Captain Trafalgar."

Law waited. None of them were. Except for him, comparatively speaking. Dellinger, definitely. Perhaps, Drake.

Pedro indicated the stairs leading up to the nearest house. They walked over and sat. The Mink was dressed for the wedding. Now, that cat could rock a suit.

"I headed an expedition to search for the poneglyphs many years ago, and we all know how that ends for most people."

Law nodded his head against his nodachi. A 382,000,000 beri bounty for Pedro, or your whole town and people destroyed, as had happened to Robin. Life as a fugitive. There were a million other methods of persecution and annihilation the government had up their sleeves.

"May as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb, so when the World Government decided I was a pirate, my fellow explorers and I became the Nox pirates. Pekoms was with our crew."

Law had only met the lion Mink and ex-Big Mom subordinate leading up to this wedding. He was a flashy dresser like the flamingo, and as selective with his kindness. This was Law's first trip to Zou. Luffy had filled him in on what happened at Whole Cake Island and after when they'd been together, way back when. He'd read about the zoan, of course. Law liked to know who was a threat, or not. Both to himself or other powers.

"About five years before Luffy came to Zou, we ran into trouble, and Pekoms and the rest of the crew took off. Only Zepo, Bepo's brother, and I remained together, trying to follow our original goal. Big Mom had some poneglyphs. We wanted to get a rubbing. Zepo was loyal. He wouldn't leave my side."

Ah, that's what this was about.

"Big Mom rescued Pekoms and the crew and they pledged loyalty to her. We got caught and she sucked out Zepo's soul. He'd been my comrade for so many years."

Pedro drew hard on his cigarette, and pulled the fedora he was wearing more firmly over his face. Law knew that gesture.

"She took the 30 years of life he had left and that was the end of it for him. She extinguished his spirit like snuffing out a candle. Combined, we owed her 100 years of our lives, though. Zepo had spun her roulette wheel, and he paid the ultimate price. Next, it was my turn."

Pedro's voice was a very quiet but constant snarl now, anger shining through every word. He didn't possess the garrulousness that Law had witnessed in the Cat Viper. He couldn't imagine the Captain of the Whale Forest Guardians singing about lasagna.

"Big Mom was going to remove seventy years from my life expectancy, but Pekoms argued it down to sixty. He has his own brand of faithfulness. I gouged my eye out as retribution for having taken her subordinate's vision, so that the years I had to relinquish dropped to fifty and I could return to Zou. I had to tell Zepo's family. New things were afoot in the world, and I also wanted to usher that in with my people, not be stuck in the molasses of Totto Land."

Law was quiet. He had no people to tell, but he knew all about new eras.

"Like I said, Zepo never apologised in the way that Bepo does. He didn't have that habit. I know Bepo can fight but I wonder if Zepo might have taught him a trick or two. He was hardcore."

Bepo had not been at all aggressive when Penguin and Law first encountered him, but maybe it was latent.

"I'm glad we live in more peaceful times."

"Thanks to you, Pedro-ya."

"Ah, you had a hand in that yourself."

The cat drew his cape a little closer. He was happier up in the trees rather than exposed in the village like this. He kept a watchful eye, not just on Law.

"Not much of one after the second escape," Law said.

Pedro glanced at him. That had made all world headlines.

"You were there when we took down Kaidou. Your support of Luffy meant the world to him, and you set it all in motion. At Punk Hazard. That was you."

"There were miracles before that, and most of them bore Strawhat's name." Law didn't begrudge him that. It was just a fact. He might put things in motion, but it was Luffy who pushed them through to the finish line in whatever infuriating, unconventional manner he had. "After, also."

Law didn't have the energy nor the inclination to let Pedro know just how much he'd been broken after that captivity, Doflamingo surviving Dressrosa and making sure he used the captive Law's lacerated skin as a way to lick clean his own wounds, with his very acid, acerbic, and damaging tongue. Hot on the heels of that was a brief internment in the marine prison. But he guessed he contributed some way toward upsetting the balance of the unstable, corrupt world at the time. That had been the plan.

"If I could keep Bepo away from Doflamingo I was going to. Sorry about Zepo. The world was fucked up then and it could have happened to any one of us. I'm sure he would have loved to have been here today."

Pedro barely moved his head in acknowledgement. He'd gained his years back with Luffy's defeat of Big Mom. It felt good to know he'd be living a bit longer, even if Zepo had lost the chance. Those regained years meant he _could_ marry Bepo and Mina today. He leaned over and placed a paw on Law's shoulder. A surge of haki from the other man, probably involuntary, shot through his body. The jaguar gave the shoulder a squeeze, sent a slight spark of electro, and lifted his paw. No need for anyone to get too comfortable.

"Sorry, man."

"Force of habit," Law said by way of apology, but dusted his shoulder. What was that little flash of power for?

Pedro had gouged out his own eye, his scar apparent, under his hair. He wondered what Law was wearing on his skin, under his skin?

The jaguar sat back on the stairs, looking up at the blue sky. A beautiful day for Bepo's nuptials.

"When I came back to Zou, I had to face Zepo's parents of course. I'd been surprised that Zepo had so little time left on earth. He must have had a condition, because he wasn't that old, but his parents _were_ getting on. Bepo was the late surprise cub of the family.

"It broke their heart. I didn't have to tell Bepo. He'd gone missing nine years before. The younger bear adored Zepo. His older brother almost had a Mohawk. The top of his fur was a dark black. He wasn't a martial arts master like Bepo, but those sharp, sharp teeth and claws really were something."

"Bepo has those."

"Hmm," Pedro tapped his own incisors, "So he has. Zepo fought with a staff. His parents were still grieving the loss of Bepo, swept from Zunisha, and now on top of that, they learn they'd definitely lost their other son, a fierce warrior, adventurer and scholar. You can imagine how they felt. How I felt delivering the news.

"As for Bepo, how do you find your way back to a moving island when you're only eight? Even though he would have been in his late teens at the time, finding their youngest took on a new urgency for them. We renewed the search and searched for a long time of course, but there was no sign of him. I mean, how _did_ he end up on the other side of the Grand Line?"

Law shrugged. "All to do with whatever ship he grabbed a ride on."

"Stowed away on."

"Yeah."

"So, anyway, Pirate Captain, Trafalgar Law," and Pedro didn't attempt to touch him again, and he spoke into the courtyard, rather than facing the Heart pirate, a cigarette still gripped between his teeth, "Thank you for sending Bepo away. Thank you for making sure he found his way home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Thanks very much** for reading. I hope it wasn't too OOC, or confusing. Law has a tea-towel of Bepo and Mina's wedding of course. It hangs with the rest of the collection that he and Marco have in their house. Much of this fic is based on Chapter 850 of the manga, and the SBS. I don't think I've got the hang of Big Mom's power, either (mathematically). But eh. It made more sense once I saw it animated.
> 
>  _Repossession_ can currently be found amongst my works, but be warned. It **doesn't** have a T rating, and parts are harrowing.
> 
> I am sorry to all those people who left kudos, and the lovely comment from [RyuichiSakuma](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RyuichiSakuma) before I took this fic down. I really appreciated them. Thank you.
> 
> * * *
> 
> My [tumblr.](https://chromatic-lamina.tumblr.com/)


	2. lead weight: zoro and law (platonic)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two characters and a conversation topic: Zoro and Law topic: punishment. Setting: Zou
> 
> G-rated

* * *

**lead weight**

* * *

""Those bullets were lodged in your gut when you got lugged around Dressrosa?" Zoro asked.

"Yeah," Law answered. "Three. More like ribcage."

"But Luffy falling on top of you drew the loudest complaint?"

Strangely unguarded country, Law thought, as he and the Straw hat swordsman stepped over the destroyed gateway to Zou.

"That and not having the keys to the cuffs. You guys making fun of Pica. Suicidal."

Zoro smiled. That voice. Ran a finger over nicks in the brickwork. Fresh. Trees uprooted. His blood surged. Adventure.

"Luffy using me as a safety net drove the bullets in further."

Zoro nodded. No wonder he'd yelled but the Heart captain wasn't upset now. Both moved forward. No birds? The forest was wild. There should be birdsong.

"All punishment's bearable when you've witnessed the death of family and friends," Law added.

The air changed. Law and Zoro eased swords from scabbards. Zoro, faster, taking the lead, swiped at air. Their attacker jumped and floated and dove and steel met the electrified claws of a ?

"Mink. They're minks."

The electrified claws of a female warrior.

Powerful. Skin tingling, heart racing, the current ran through him before the older mink ordered her to fall back. But punishment _was_ bearable when you failed to protect family and friends. When you had chances they never would. Yup. He knew how that felt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These are just small responses to some requests on tumblr to write a small dialogue piece when given two characters and a topic.
> 
> [My tumblr](https://chromatic-lamina.tumblr.com/).
> 
> [My twitter](https://twitter.com/ChromaticLamina).


	3. direction unknown—robin and zoro (platonic)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> robin & zoro & things they've lost

* * *

**direction unknown**

* * *

"This way, swordsman-san." One of Robin's hands landed on Zoro's shoulder and gently veered him towards the stairs. She was on the first step when Zoro ran past the base, to the left. Too gentle.

Another hand rose from the ground and gripped his ankle. He jerked to a stop and looked down with annoyance and she hoped her devil fruit retraction was faster than his swords.

She planted another on the opposite shoulder and a finger pointed towards the stairs, then upwards. Pointed towards Robin herself. She applied more pressure. Muscly.

"Just here. I'm here. Follow me."

"Let go and I will."

Robin released the hand gripping his foot, but not the ones on his upper body. She sprouted a few more and blinkered his ears and eyes to make sure he faced the correct direction too.

Once he joined her on the first step she relaxed and a flutter of petals dispersed her fruit.

"I wasn't lost."

They took the steps two at a time.

"Of course not."

Loss was reserved for people and countries and centuries.

She'd caught a glimpse of white as she'd run to the Library of Ohara. A woman had rushed past her. Her mother? She'd carried a gun. The face was a blur.

Together, if Robin used her fruit, could they have made a difference?

Knowing which path to take and stay upon was more difficult than it looked. Regret was retrospective after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short prompt from tumblr: writing a dialogue between two characters and a topic
> 
> [my tumblr](https://chromatic-lamina.tumblr.com/)  
> [my twitter](https://twitter.com/ChromaticLamina)


	4. Lake and Draw (Drake and Law)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Law and Drake meet after some time. Word play and reflection on _that_ day. Set in Wano.

**Lake and Draw**

* * *

Lake and Draw meet after some time

"Your name's a _pain_."

"And yours, a drain."

"Surely you get tired of its _use_ and abuse in every article of the—

"Yeah, yeah. I've heard it _before_. It's not such a long bow to—

"Draw." (Law)

"And do your powers empty you—

"Down to the bedrock of a—

"Lake?" (Drake?)

"Drawn of all water."

"Is this the drawning of a new era?"

Neither man laughed nor grimaced at the world play. Drake keeping Law company before the inevitable torture.

"But y'know, like, for real. What if on that day your name was Lake?" Law said, staring down at his cuffs. What kind of mechanism worked on them?

"And yours was Draw?" Drake looked across elbow on folded knee, chin on fist.

"And somehow using Sora's super powers—" Law's eyes lit up. Looked at the ex-marine. That was some chin. Was that X hereditary?

"Or Stealth Black! Did you see him? Here in Wano?"

Law shrugged. The seastone wasn't anyone's friend, but this was a conversation he had some interest in. "Yeah. Huh. Who'd thought?"

"But Germa and Vinsmoke and all. He's connected to the cook?"

"Haven't got a clue."

* * *

Law and Drake sat on a bench seat in the cell. Hawkins had been called to read Orochi's cards, about the possibility of the Red Scabbards somehow reappearing after twenty long years. A daily task. Once he'd finished, the thumbscrews could be tightened.

"The library on the frigate had a collection—and the old bastard. Despite everything," Drake said.

The chains clanked as Law lifted his hands together and rubbed a knuckle along the curve of his skull. Itchy. Maybe Bepo had fleas. Folks tried to keep Ebisu town clean, but they were so poor. And the castle hadn't been in the best shape even before Kaidou incinerated it.

"I read Sora in Flevance. But sometimes I'd sneak into the shops in Spider Miles and see what those Germa pricks were up to."

He cupped his hands in his lap, the rounded metal on his thighs. What side was the reptile on? He leant forward.

"So, Drake. How many people have you killed?" The navy was good at that.

He didn't flinch, or pause, or miss a beat. "More than my father, but all in the name of justice. You?"

"Less than my reputation and for the sake of vengeance."

Drake nodded and motioned for Law to rise as Hawkins' boots tapped along the cobblestone.

The raid suit would have been too small for Cora that day, but if he'd had it, Law would've tried to force the great oaf into it, though being from the North and the navy, Cora knew all about Germa technology too, and probably would've suffocated Law trying to fit him into it.

Drake though. Diez. Law eyed him. Didn't know how big his nineteen-year old self had been. Those from the North Blue came into their own once they left its cold seas. If he'd worn it and disappeared from sight maybe he could've stopped the attack—somehow—if he knew how important it was to the world, to the navy, to Law. He still felt and heard the wood of the chest against the thumping of his fists.

But Drake was just a boy who made it to the other side of the birdcage without knowing Cora's name (he wasn't alone) or knowing that Law himself had caused another death. A number of them.

He flexed his fingers. Welcomed Hawkins. Some brought misfortune on all they touched and associated with. As long as they could read, he'd given fair warning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From this request:
>
>> If you’re still doing writing prompts, maybe law and drake with law finding out drake was there on that day?
> 
> I didn't quite match the promptee's request, but I explored it a little. Indulge me with the word play at the beginning. I just wanted to have a bit of fun with rhyming. This is a flippant piece, but I hope you enjoyed it.
> 
> Kudos, comments and all are always appreciated. Thanks for reading.


	5. self-determination: marco and ace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oyaji took in all. The great men. They took in all.

* * *

**self-determination**

* * *

Ace's mother died not long after he took his first breaths. She held him only once. He never heard nor learnt that Roger's laugh spilled from him like the blossoms from the sky and the pop of bubbles in a beer poured just so. Angry. Ace was an angry kid.

None of us met Rouge but it was cool that Ace carried her name. He was a bit younger than the kids of the other mighty leaders and pirates of the time. Inu and Neko kept us informed.

That old man sat up there on the platform with Ace, Ace in chains; he saved his life only to not be able to save it again. What had Ace done wrong, really?

But he'd saved him.

That seagull-wearing, goat-loving, fuck. Sengoku. Being born the son of bad blood determines your own is poisoned and that you'll poison others? The judgement in that. And Oyaji took in all. The great men. They took in all. Even when it hurt them. Even when it bled them dry. That old man, Ace's grandfather, no wonder he urged Ace to join the navy. He knew—he could see how the government worked. He would've been safe.

But Sengoku didn't drive the final punch home. That was Ace running towards his death. He'd been saved. His brother causing and completing the kind of miracles that only Roger could, and Ace hurtled right back into death's arms. Like he had to be saved from it on his own terms or else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is for [jurassic_gal](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jurassic_gal) ([Ellie Mehl](https://elliemehl.tumblr.com/) on tumblr) for all the wonderful art pieces she's shared with us all. This one's sad, Ellie, sorry! The next one is slightly more upbeat.
> 
> Thanks to all for reading. Kudos and comments are greatly appreciated.


	6. gelati—ace and marco

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zabaglione, dulce de leche, pistacchio salato? Which gelato was the best one?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 5 and 6 uploaded on the same day.

* * *

**gelati**

* * *

He was all salted pistacchio and Marco, zabaglione. The girl behind the counter scooping the ice cream out for them just so. Her hair cute tied up in a cap, a few strands falling behind her ears, and a sideburn curl or two. Summer was its own kind of hell, but a touch of honey made the temperatures a tenth of a degree bearable. Especially with the bite of sea air to the tongue. Not that Ace knew that.

"The usual?" she asked.

Ace nodded like a child brought up on fighting tigers and escaping fires. He'd told the crew about Makino and how she'd taught him to be polite, then yelled at them two seconds later to fuck off as they cackled and crowed and dubbed him "Fire Fist Keigo"—the higher, politer language used with customers and superiors.

Her role was to be courteous with customers and she didn't falter, though the uptick of lip and dimple showed she appreciated Ace's manner even if her conduct had to be greater.

In a tourist area like this.

"And you, Mr. Phoenix?" His shirt blended with the sky. The red arms of his glasses dipped as he perused the selection, and the silver of the refrigerated display case gleamed in the lenses. She knew what he wanted but he liked to be asked.

Ace rolled his eyes at her, licking the ice cream in its cone before the sun's heat surpassed his own—same rigmarole every time.

"You never know," Marco said to the tubs of ice cream though his words were directed at Ace, "so many flavours."

"And colours."

"They all look so good."

"But..."

And she pushed across a bowl of zabaglione, a spoon buried in the heaped dessert, a few biscotti to the side. Marco always chose a bowl. Took some dexterity to dip the biscuit into a cone.

"Would you like a taste of dulce de leche, Mr Phoenix?" And Ace was nodding and had his hand out for the sampler, the other hand shoving the half-finished pistacchio into his face.

The girl handed the spoon to Ace, and the milk–and–heat–and–sugar–and–not–quite–caramel of the dulce de leche, and the tang of the ice cream he already had weren't a bad combination.

"And you, Mr. Phoenix?" she tried again, calling out to him.

He sat at a nearby table, umbrella over top shading him from the sun.

He took a bite and slurp and suck of the ice cream and spoon and appreciated the time it had taken to whisk and heat the egg yolks, sugar and marsala to the right consistency to merge with the cream. A spot of moisture dampened the serviette beside the bowl as he lowered the spoon, eyes closed, as if he had to chew each mouthful thirty times to fully enjoy the flavour. As if it hadn't automatically melted and slid down his throat. Ace eyed the rivulets blurring the dessert glass.

His eyes snapped open. "Next time perhaps." He picked up the spoon again, and dabbed the sides of his mouth with the napkin.

Ace leant over and grabbed the new sample. Blood orange was one of his favourites. His ice-cream was down to a broken glass stub.

Adventure wasn't avoided by either one of them, but Marco enjoyed what familiarity he could indulge in when he could find it. Zabaglione was a childhood treat, and though his tastes matured across the years this wasn't one of them. Even if the marsala appealed more to a man who'd moulted feathers more than a few times than it did to a child.

Ace didn't know. He kicked out a chair with his foot, and plopped down across from Marco. The girl brought across another spoon, and Ace dipped a biscotto into the bowl. Marco scowled but didn't slap his hand away.

Ace couldn't pinpoint a childhood favourite, although the burn and crisp and crust of caramel or a crème brûlée came close. It wasn't the acridity of the scorched-earth junkyard, smoke wisps rising from the surface, but there was a dissonance that unnerved him in the best possible way, like standing on the edge of a cliff with your brothers, your arms freewheeling in the breeze and the open space and sea behind, ready to catch you or not. But it didn't quite fill what he was looking for, because who knew what that was.

Something was missing and any flavour under the sun might lead him to it. The ones tried after pistacchio salato. You never knew until you tried.

The molasses of a darker sweetness sat at the back of his throat and all that was salt, all that was citrus, cut through and sometimes neutralised it, but was sometimes consumed by it. Balance was the key and he wasn't the only one searching for the perfect fruit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is also for [jurassic_gal](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jurassic_gal) ([Ellie Mehl](https://elliemehl.tumblr.com/) on tumblr), in appreciation for her beautiful artwork, and her generosity in sharing so many of them, and taking so many requests.
> 
> Sorry, Ellie, it started out lightly and, well, it doesn't end darkly, but canon's themes are not the lightest either.
> 
> I hope you like it anyway?
> 
> And thank you to everyone else who reads it. I also hope you like it. All feedback is absolutely welcomed.


End file.
